Purpose: To determine whether high-dose intravenous vitamin C reduces oxidative stress in patients with severe preeclampsia in the first days postpartum. Methods: Biomarkers of oxidative stress were assessed as secondary outcomes of a single-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Thirty-four patients with singleton pregnancies complicated by severe features of preeclampsia were randomized into two groups: intravenous vitamin C (1.5 g/6 h) (n = 17) or placebo (n = 17). Urinary concentrations of dityrosine, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdg), 8-isoprostane, and N epsilon-(hexanoyl) lysine (HEL) were measured at days one and three after delivery and normalized for urinary creatinine in 22 of patients included (12 in vitamin C and 10 in placebo group). The Mann–Whitney U-test was used to compare values of oxidative stress biomarkers at days one and three after delivery in vitamin C vs. placebo groups (p ≤ 0.05 significant). Results: Dityrosine and 8-OHdg values did not differ significantly between the two study groups at day one after delivery (p = 0.23 and p = 0.77, respectively), but were significantly lower in the vitamin C group compared to the placebo group at day three after delivery (p = 0.04 and p = 0.03, respectively). Values of 8-isoprostane and HEL did not differ significantly between the two study groups at day one (p = 0.41 and p = 0.42, respectively), as well as at day three, after delivery (p = 0.25 and p = 0.24, respectively). Conclusion: High-dose intravenous vitamin C treatments in patients with severe preeclampsia reduced urinary levels of dityrosine and 8-OHdg (markers of protein and DNA oxidative damage, respectively) on day three after delivery. Vitamin C treatment had no significant effect on lipid peroxidation biomarkers, i.e., 8-isoprostane and HEL.

Objective: To determine the usefulness of a novel classification of indications for caesarean section (CS) in labour in recognizing differences in clinical practice in different maternity units. Methods: Data from the National Perinatal Information System (NPIS) for 2013 and 2014 were used to classify indications for CS in nulliparous women with spontaneous onset of labour at ≥37 weeks with single cephalic foetuses within 14 Slovenian maternity units into foetal distress and different sub-groups of dystocia according to use and dosage of oxytocin. Chi-square test was used for statistical comparison between units (P≤0.05 significant). Results: There were 13,572 deliveries and 1,567 (12.0%) CS in nulliparous patients with spontaneous onset of labour at ≥37 weeks with single cephalic foetuses in Slovenia during the study period. Rates of CS in this group of women differed significantly among different maternity units (from 4.1% to 20.9%; P<0.001) suggesting significant differences in clinical practice. The most common indication for CS was cephalopelvic disproportion, which was diagnosed with different frequency in different units (from 11.2% to 45.9%; odds ratio 6.72; 95% confidence interval 3.10– 14.71; P<0.001). Conclusions: It is possible to use NPIS data to retrospectively classify indications for CS. Such classification reveals significant differences among maternity units and could allow for a meaningful analysis of CS rates in different hospitals leading to evidence-based initiatives to decrease the incidence of primary CS.